I am a first year from Schenectady, New York. I had first heard about Northwood through a former student, and quickly started the recruitment process. Eventually everything worked out, and I was excited to start a new chapter of my life.
I was 5 years old when I got into hockey but started playing as a goalie at 7. Back when I was playing youth hockey there was a rule that you could only play goalie for a week a year all the way until squirts. Growing up and living just five minutes away from Union College, I went to a lot of their games. This was at a time when they were an exciting team to watch, and it definitely got me into the sport.
Hockey is a big part of the culture here, and the team bonding I experienced as a new student made the transition easy.” On my first day on campus, I met Ritter Coombs and Owen Flynn and thought they were nutjobs. But seeing them every day and becoming buddies with them was a great way to start my Northwood experience.
A moment that will stick with me is hiking up Cobble as a team and having that bonding experience early on while also experiencing a view of the Adirondacks is not something everyone gets to do.
Everyone has their own thing. When you get to know me, you’ll see I enjoy doing puzzles: your New York Times, Wordles, Crosswords puzzles or even jigsaw puzzles. Journaling has also become a routine in my everyday life. I find myself coming across a quote and writing it down and it’s a way for me to continue to grow as a person.
I’m grateful for my goalie coach Brian McDonald. He’s been with me since an early age, and he made hockey fun and a place where I can get away from the world. Working with him every day in the summer we both got to know one another. On and off the ice having a mentor and a father figure is something special.
As told to Halle Mules ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
